Typical electrochemical devices comprise multiple electrically active layers such as an anode, cathode, electrolyte, substrate, current collectors, etc. Some layers, such as, for example, an anode layer comprising Lithium, are comprised of materials that are very environmentally sensitive. Such batteries require an encapsulation to protect such environmentally sensitive material. Some schemes used to encapsulate the sensitive layers of electrochemical devices, such encapsulation with gold foil, are expensive. Other schemes encapsulate the device with pouch, for example, made of metal and plastic, that seals around the perimeter of the device. As the temperature changes the residual gas atmosphere within the metal and plastic pouch expands and/or contracts. This expansion and/or contraction may blow out the seals of the metal and plastic pouch or create other problems, thus eliminating the encapsulating benefits of the pouch.
Typical electrochemical devices also have tabs that extend out from the substrate. These tabs provide electrically conductive contact points for the battery. These tabs can be fragile and can break when gripped or secured from the outside and create difficulties when trying to design the encapsulation to maintain a proper seal around the tabs.
Solid-state, thin-film, secondary and primary electrochemical devices, including batteries, have very small thickness dimensions, which may put their electrically conductive contact points, the terminals, in very close layered proximity by a dimension that is mainly defined by the thickness of the seal material. Any physical impact on such a device can entail the risk of bringing these two terminals into contact, which would accidentally electrically short out the device.
Thus, there is a need in the art to provide for better and more robust encapsulating approaches and better approaches to providing electrically conductive contacts, including encapsulation that is substantially thinner than known encapsulation methods while being more about robust against physical impact.